sears home (!)

We were told by previous owners that our house was initially a sears model home ... !

K digged a bit and found it to be a personalised version (mix of both) of 'The Ridgeland' and 'The Dover', both pictured here, except our's exterior is finished in stucco (not wooden exterior)...
hilarious.

funny, we also keep hearing a few stories about the house and its previous owners (from neighbors that have been here a while & love a good
gossip ; )

another interesting thing is that the registry shows a mr. wright as one of its first owners (or the first?). Descendant of Philemon Wright ??
- the 1st settlement in the region was called Wrightville (then renamed Hull) in the 1800s (before ottawa -1855- which was then called bytown - named after colonel By)
"Philemon Wright (September 3, 1760 – June 3, 1839) was a farmer and entrepreneur who founded Wrightville, the first settlement in the National Capital Region of Canada. Wrightville later became Hull, Quebec."


- this is the sears archives-homes site (showing the Ridgeland, above) : http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/1933-1940.htm


- antique homes website (showing the Dover, on left) - if you have an older home / perhaps you can find yours archived as well: http://www.antiquehome.org/House-Plans/1935-Sears/Dover.htm

vine or not to vine

this morning i noticed how beautiful the light was in the bedroom. albeit almost non-existant.

i cant decide whether to chop the hell out of these vines or to let them be.
they make quite a mess on the windowsills... attracting bugs (i think) and block most of the natural light.

on the other hand, they are pretty, and we mostly sleep in there so light isnt that important?
there is no artificial lighting right now - perhaps resolve that first and then see... before doing anything drastic. though they will likely grow back with a vengeance!

this is why i deleted my facebok.

since a few are asking... it just wasnt as fun anymore for me. thats all. call me blasé.

which is why this is fitting, guess you could say i was:
"underwhelmed" (by Brock Davis)
This is one of many cool things in this guy's seriously amazing portfolio. love the shattered pieces series, especially the banana and the rubber duck and well really all of them, the cap ! yes.
I am in awe. brilliantly well executed ideas : "make something cool every day" is what he calls it. nice. ah imagination.

Make-Something-Cool-Every-Day

donne la santé!

Herbal Tea ad that claims to "give health! while purifying blood."

great typography

loving this font & its spanish 'translation'

CLICK THE IMAGE

MUST be viewed LARGE.

i'm down - with mishna wolf (& marc maron)

-- off topic --

Yesterday, I finished reading this book my sister gave me called "I'm down", as in "I'm down with that", meaning "i'm down with the hood" or "I am in agreeance with the current topic of discussion." ; )

The book is the story /or memoir of the author's (Mishna Wolf) upbringing/childhood, that is of being a white girl in a poor black neighborhood and having a dad who 'thinks/lives/acts' like he's black and thinks his daughter isnt "down" enough - its pretty hilarious, as well as having it's touching moments - but mostly it's laugh out loud funny.
i hadn't heard of her but she's also a stand-up comedian (and being a former model - she is also stunning when not sporting an afro).
now, i guess, i have a 'girl crush' on her.
So one thing leading to another, I looked her up yesterday and it turns out her husband is also a comedian and i really wonder how come we've never heard of him - that guy is really very funny.

Here is a short 1 min. skit that proves it :

Marc Maron on why all men need a woman to keep them down.

the right white & mr. perfect

Design Dilemmas - Painting
Choosing the right white.


"Mr. Perfect Pitt" discusses atheism, legalization & gay rights on Bill Maher show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSmox4zFo3M

oh baby.

film is not dead.
THIS is camera porn.


they explain it way better than i ever would :

"It’s something about that plastic body. Something about peering down through that waist-level finder. Sizing up your subject with the top lens and capturing it through crispy glass lens with the bottom. It’s simply irresistible to people who love and adore life. People who are open-minded, enthusiastic, free with their ideas, philanthropic, endlessly curious, always travelling, constantly documenting,

and completely awestruck by the enduring power of analog photographs. In other words – people like you!

Shooting with the Lubitel+ is different than anything you have shot before. The combination of its glass lenses, the flexible 120 or 35mm format, fully manual everything, fully automatic nothing, peering into a waist-level finder, slowing things down with focusing and dialing in the correct exposure settings, and a myriad of other analog factors make it a full-bodied experience that activates all of your senses and brings you into a special and very intimate place.

Lubitel+ pictures have their very own look and special analog character. They’re more “professional” than any 35mm camera, but less professional than a Hasselblad. Of course they are sharp, crispy, artistic, painted with light, and grand. But they’re also occasionally random, sometimes too vibrant, often vignetted at the edges, and totally flexible to your wishes and innovative tinkering. Rather than reflecting the objective reality in front of you, they reflect the subjective reality of the Lomographer behind the camera. They will make you look twice.

Grab a seat, take our hand, and let us introduce you to this passionate twin-lens lothario."

need i say more??? *biting knuckles*

now, i should probably take out my lomo fisheye 'for a ride' more often, considering i bought it more than a year ago and have only had 2 rolls developped since... and they didnt turn out great. (not great right away=shelf! :s ) there is a learning curve for sure. i pledge to take it out more often.
click here to see it in all it's glory. its a really sweet toy camera & at 50$ (or around 400 RMB) it was a bargain and seen as a toy - so i dont feel too too guilty.

www.lomography.com = is an all time top 5 fave. i've been receiving their weekly newsletter for quite a while for entertainment purposes and to see amazing photos - THIS is the 1st time i am really really sold on a product...they do have mad marketing skills. damn them.

i see what the lubitel does on flickr once in a while and it does produce magical images that have a wonderfully dreamy (japanese?) feel. this one would be more of an investment thats for sure...

Had been coveting this...

perhaps for my upcoming bday...

it's now sold out.

!

godverdomme.

renovation hardware is the sh*t.

i've just discovered it recently, because well im retarded and because i am currently home obssessed (ok i have been for the past year or so...). a sweet soul has lent me catalogs (very bad idea, as its quite expensive but they have the most amazing fixtures, industrial style reproductions, etc.. so am just browsing ;)

more starburst beauties (current 'ocd')

that fireplace is beautiful - the mirror is perfect
and that black 'fire/ashes guard' (no clue what these are called in English - or in French, actually?) in wrought iron / with modern shapes is really dreamy. hmm. the wall color is quite nice & warm as well.












west elm sells this baby online (click here for the link) ... and not too pricey... hmm. perhaps it needs to find a home on top of our fireplace.

sleep on it. yes.


















another smaller one below - cute but we cant see the detailing and its a little on the small side. not sure this is fisheye glass. fisheye is mandatory.

'starburst fisheye' magnificence (Take II)

click image to view larger.
© dominiqueb

The Gaige house (living area) - Glen Ellen, Sonoma Valley - California
(we stayed here on our minimoon, that place deserves it's own posting... get back to that later :) - the gaige house is a Thompson hotel = LES in nyc is another great one, and as the name suggests, is located right in the core of the Lower East Side. perfect & they offer hot deals, we stayed there for little $$)


It deserved another shot - this is a previously posted gem i cant seem to get enough of... as seen here in close up...

Latest discovery -

Have fallen head over heels in love with this website called social designer

* contest
* design
* social ?

ding ding ding. bells are a ringin'.
Prettteeee brilliant.

i think i'll try my hand at this 1 contest... just for fun. especially that i am home alone for a long w-e . perfect. ; )

i'm loving these crayons (pencils!?..whatever they're called) :
500 Colored Pencils banner/poster competition

Competition Description

Submit to win

The 500 Colored Pencils program supports UNESCO DREAM Centers – 1 set out of every 100 sold is donated to UNESCO to support arts education for underprivileged children around the world.

OVERVIEW
Felissimo is launching an inspirational new product called the 500 Colored Pencils, a subscription of 500 different colored pencils. Every month a set of 25 pencils is delivered to the purchaser; like a gift that reveals itself slowly over the time, the full set of pencils is acquired over a period of 20 months. Each pencil has its own hue and its own unique name – together they suggest infinite possibilities.

DESIGN BRIEF

This competition calls for the design of either a set of online banners or a print poster that promotes this unique and creative product. These pieces may be used in promotional campaigns for the 500 Pencils.

this is salty blue :)